Eric Philips
Encyclopedia
Eric Philips OAM is an Australian polar explorer, adventurer and ski guide.
Philips has completed major expeditions on the worlds four largest icecaps and was the first Australian, together with companion Jon Muir, to ski to both the North Pole
and South Pole
. Philips skied to the North Pole from Siberia in 2002 and has since guided seven commercial North Pole expeditions. A film, Icetrek North Pole, was produced about this expedition.
In 1998-99, together with Jon Muir and Peter Hillary, Philips skied from McMurdo Station
in Antarctica to the South Pole via the Ross Ice Shelf
and Shackleton Glacier
. This 84-day, 1425 km ski expedition utilised traction kites to harness the wind. A film, Into the Teeth of the Blizzard, was produced about this expedition. Philips also guided a 925 km commercial ski expedition from the Ronne Ice Shelf to the South Pole in 2007-08. In 2004 Eric was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia
(OAM) for achievements in polar exploration
.
In 1995 Philips completed a ski/kite/kayak traverse of Greenland from Tasiilaq
to Kangerlussuaq
, resulting in the Emmy Award
-winning film, Chasing the Midnight Sun. He used similar methods to cross the South Patagonian Icecap from Chile
to Argentina
, producing the film, Riding the Tempest. Philips has also skied across icecaps in Iceland
(2003) and Ellesmere Island
(1992) and in 2008 skied from Ny Alesund to Longyearbyen
on the island of Spitsbergen
.
In 1996-97 Philips worked as a Field Training Officer at Mawson Station
for the Australian Antarctic Division
and in 2006-07 sailed with his family on board the ice-strengthened ship Sarsen to Commonwealth Bay
in Antarctica. He has also cycle toured through Patagonia
and Tierra del Fuego
, around the South Island of New Zealand
and from the Netherlands
to Egypt
.
Philips studied at the University of South Australia
, attaining a Diploma of Teaching, a Bachelor of Education
and Graduate Diploma
in Outdoor Education
and was the Director of Outdoor Education at the renowned Timbertop campus of Geelong Grammar School
.
Through his experiences Philips has developed alternative and highly effective methods of travel in the polar regions and has embraced the use of specialized plastics in the construction of polar-specific equipment. He is the inventor of the Flexi ski binding, used extensively by polar adventurers.
Philips is the author of Icetrek. The Bitter Journey to the South Pole.
Philips lives in Hobart
, Australia
with his wife, Susy, daughter, Mardi and son, Kip, where he runs his own guiding business.
Philips has completed major expeditions on the worlds four largest icecaps and was the first Australian, together with companion Jon Muir, to ski to both the North Pole
North Pole
The North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is, subject to the caveats explained below, defined as the point in the northern hemisphere where the Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface...
and South Pole
South Pole
The South Pole, also known as the Geographic South Pole or Terrestrial South Pole, is one of the two points where the Earth's axis of rotation intersects its surface. It is the southernmost point on the surface of the Earth and lies on the opposite side of the Earth from the North Pole...
. Philips skied to the North Pole from Siberia in 2002 and has since guided seven commercial North Pole expeditions. A film, Icetrek North Pole, was produced about this expedition.
In 1998-99, together with Jon Muir and Peter Hillary, Philips skied from McMurdo Station
McMurdo Station
McMurdo Station is a U.S. Antarctic research center located on the southern tip of Ross Island, which is in the New Zealand-claimed Ross Dependency on the shore of McMurdo Sound in Antarctica. It is operated by the United States through the United States Antarctic Program, a branch of the National...
in Antarctica to the South Pole via the Ross Ice Shelf
Ross Ice Shelf
The Ross Ice Shelf is the largest ice shelf of Antarctica . It is several hundred metres thick. The nearly vertical ice front to the open sea is more than 600 km long, and between 15 and 50 metres high above the water surface...
and Shackleton Glacier
Shackleton Glacier
Shackleton Glacier is a major Antarctic glacier, over long and from 8 to 16 km wide, descending from the polar plateau from the vicinity of Roberts Massif and flowing north through the Queen Maud Mountains to enter the Ross Ice Shelf between Mount Speed and Waldron Spurs. The Roberts Massif...
. This 84-day, 1425 km ski expedition utilised traction kites to harness the wind. A film, Into the Teeth of the Blizzard, was produced about this expedition. Philips also guided a 925 km commercial ski expedition from the Ronne Ice Shelf to the South Pole in 2007-08. In 2004 Eric was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
(OAM) for achievements in polar exploration
Polar exploration
Polar exploration may refer to:* Antarctic exploration* Arctic exploration-See also:* Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration* List of Antarctic expeditions* List of Arctic expeditions* List of polar explorers* List of Russian explorers...
.
In 1995 Philips completed a ski/kite/kayak traverse of Greenland from Tasiilaq
Tasiilaq
Tasiilaq is a town in the Sermersooq municipality in southeastern Greenland. With 1,930 inhabitants as of 2010, it is the most populous community on the eastern coast, and the seventh-largest town in Greenland...
to Kangerlussuaq
Kangerlussuaq
Kangerlussuaq is a settlement in western Greenland in the Qeqqata municipality, located at the head of a fjord of the same name. It is Greenland's main air transport hub, being the site of Greenland's largest commercial airport....
, resulting in the Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
-winning film, Chasing the Midnight Sun. He used similar methods to cross the South Patagonian Icecap from Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
to Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, producing the film, Riding the Tempest. Philips has also skied across icecaps in Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
(2003) and Ellesmere Island
Ellesmere Island
Ellesmere Island is part of the Qikiqtaaluk Region of the Canadian territory of Nunavut. Lying within the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, it is considered part of the Queen Elizabeth Islands, with Cape Columbia being the most northerly point of land in Canada...
(1992) and in 2008 skied from Ny Alesund to Longyearbyen
Longyearbyen
Longyearbyen is the largest settlement and the administrative centre of Svalbard, Norway. It is located on the western coast of Spitsbergen, the largest island of the Svalbard archipelago, on the southern side on Adventfjorden , which continues inland with Adventdalen...
on the island of Spitsbergen
Spitsbergen
Spitsbergen is the largest and only permanently populated island of the Svalbard archipelago in Norway. Constituting the western-most bulk of the archipelago, it borders the Arctic Ocean, the Norwegian Sea and the Greenland Sea...
.
In 1996-97 Philips worked as a Field Training Officer at Mawson Station
Mawson Station
Mawson Station is one of three permanent Australian bases in the Australian Antarctic Territory of East Antarctica. Named after Antarctic explorer Sir Douglas Mawson, the base is managed by the Australian Antarctic Division...
for the Australian Antarctic Division
Australian Antarctic Division
The Australian Antarctic Division is an agency of the Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities . The division undertakes science programs and research projects to contribute to an understanding of Antarctica and the Southern Ocean...
and in 2006-07 sailed with his family on board the ice-strengthened ship Sarsen to Commonwealth Bay
Commonwealth Bay
Commonwealth Bay is an open bay about 48 km wide at the entrance between Point Alden and Cape Gray in Antarctica. It was discovered in 1912 by the Australasian Antarctic Expedition under Douglas Mawson, who established the main base of the expedition at Cape Denison at the head of the bay...
in Antarctica. He has also cycle toured through Patagonia
Patagonia
Patagonia is a region located in Argentina and Chile, integrating the southernmost section of the Andes mountains to the southwest towards the Pacific ocean and from the east of the cordillera to the valleys it follows south through Colorado River towards Carmen de Patagones in the Atlantic Ocean...
and Tierra del Fuego
Tierra del Fuego
Tierra del Fuego is an archipelago off the southernmost tip of the South American mainland, across the Strait of Magellan. The archipelago consists of a main island Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego divided between Chile and Argentina with an area of , and a group of smaller islands including Cape...
, around the South Island of New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
and from the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
to Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
.
Philips studied at the University of South Australia
University of South Australia
The University of South Australia is a public university in the Australian state of South Australia. It was formed in 1991 with the merger of the South Australian Institute of Technology and Colleges of Advanced Education. It is the largest university in South Australia, with more than 36,000...
, attaining a Diploma of Teaching, a Bachelor of Education
Bachelor of Education
A Bachelor of Education is an undergraduate academic degree which qualifies the graduate as a teacher in schools.-North America:...
and Graduate Diploma
Graduate Diploma
A Graduate Diploma is generally a postgraduate qualification, although some graduate diplomas involve the study of undergraduate level courses...
in Outdoor Education
Outdoor education
Outdoor education usually refers to organized learning that takes place in the outdoors. Outdoor education programs sometimes involve residential or journey-based experiences in which students participate in a variety of adventurous challenges in the form of outdoor activities such as hiking,...
and was the Director of Outdoor Education at the renowned Timbertop campus of Geelong Grammar School
Geelong Grammar School
Geelong Grammar School is an independent, Anglican, co-educational, boarding and day school. The school's main campus is located at Corio, on the northern outskirts of Geelong, Victoria, Australia, overlooking Corio Bay and Limeburners Bay....
.
Through his experiences Philips has developed alternative and highly effective methods of travel in the polar regions and has embraced the use of specialized plastics in the construction of polar-specific equipment. He is the inventor of the Flexi ski binding, used extensively by polar adventurers.
Philips is the author of Icetrek. The Bitter Journey to the South Pole.
Philips lives in Hobart
Hobart
Hobart is the state capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Founded in 1804 as a penal colony,Hobart is Australia's second oldest capital city after Sydney. In 2009, the city had a greater area population of approximately 212,019. A resident of Hobart is known as...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
with his wife, Susy, daughter, Mardi and son, Kip, where he runs his own guiding business.